The Border Projects: Shelter Me​in the LAB at Collar Works Gallery, 621 River St, Troy, NY 12180 (in conjunction with Still Eden: Artists in the Realm of Nature)

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by The Arts Center of the Capital Region. ​

In effort to promote exchange and responsive art-making around the topic of borders and displacement, "The Border Projects" seek to open dialogue about daily experiences with borders or boundaries as they relate to the ideas of home and/or displacement. These projects are an attempt to examine and understand (though we may never fully understand) the complexity of border conflicts at home and abroad along with those borders that manifest differently in each city or home as invisible lines, through economics, ethnicity, psychology, or other deeply personal ways. For "Shelter Me," community participants will engage in discussion about their own experiences and create collaborative artwork based on their conversations.

In Session 1, the community groups will first meet to discuss topics around borders, boundaries, home, and displacement. After personal discussion of their own experiences, the group will decide on what materials might best reflect some of their discussion. How will they now engage the viewers of these structures? What questions do they want the work to raise? How will the materials they use shape the concept of the piece? What inherent qualities and references do materials carry with them? The groups will then discuss what materials need to be collected or purchased, work schedule and allocation of duties before beginning construction. In Session 2, the groups will create the artwork in response to the conversations and ideas about borders and boundaries. The finished work will be displayed in public locations around Troy. Participants will be encouraged to invite friends and family to come to the locations to participate in conversations and see the completed work. Participants may record their thoughts/experiences in writing or record conversations via smartphones and email them to me to be included in a growing digital archive.

In light of our current political climate and the deep divisions among ideologies, friends, and families, these topics are essential themes for the general public to engage. It is necessary for us to create a space for constructive conversation and deep listening to occur in efforts to work together toward a common goal. Art is a place this can happen.